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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. staff — employees
  3. file — a tool
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wake — a trail
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. root — of a plant
  11. roll — a cake
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a document
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. roll — a list
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. root — of a word
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com